Our first ever Swift Night Out will take place on Saturday, July 9, at 8PM, at the museum. All summer long, you can see and hear chimney swifts swooping and chittering overhead throughout the day across Viroqua and especially at the museum. The museum’s large chimney is an attractive place for hundreds of these birds to roost at night, and as the sun begins to set, they return and fly around the chimney in a dramatic fashion. That’s what we’ll be watching on July 9.

The event will take place outside in the museum’s parking lot, so we can all observe the birds. The evening will begin at 8PM with a brief talk about chimney swifts by Barb Duerksen of the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology. Then, between 8:30 and 9PM, we’ll watch the swifts return to roost in the chimney. Popcorn will be available for purchase. Bring a lawn chair to sit on. And during the month of July, watch for our chimney swift exhibit in the “community window” just south of Citizens First Bank on Main St. in Viroqua.